


Dead, But Still Living

by Sirhorsealot



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, Dangan Ronpa: Trigger Happy Havoc
Genre: F/F, Short One Shot, just kinda came to me, kinda Kirisaba?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-23
Updated: 2019-06-23
Packaged: 2020-05-16 22:05:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19326997
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sirhorsealot/pseuds/Sirhorsealot
Summary: Four months. That was how long it had been since Hope's Peak Academy's class 78 escaped their cruel killing game and faced the world together. Just four months, and already so much had changed. Junko was caught and taken into a high-security prison, class 77 was detained and currently undergoing a rigorous rehabilitation. All that, and yet there was one constant. Mukuro Ikusaba, sister of despair and the Ultimate Soldier, remained dead.





	Dead, But Still Living

**Author's Note:**

> They may seem a bit out of character! I apologize in advance, as I've never written them before.  
> Danganronpa IF universe, but Mukuro died before they escaped.

Four months. That was how long it had been since Hope's Peak Academy's class 78 escaped their cruel killing game and faced the world together. Just four months, and already so much had changed. Junko was caught and taken into a high-security prison, class 77 was detained and currently undergoing a rigorous rehabilitation. All that, and yet there was one constant. Mukuro Ikusaba, sister of despair and the Ultimate Soldier, remained dead. She drifted endlessly, mostly following her classmates, even though they couldn't see her.

Today, it was a certain lavender-haired girl she shadowed. To call her interesting would be a gross insult to the truly enigmatic being that was Kyoko Kirigiri. Mukuro wasn't quite sure what it was, exactly, that captivated her so. Was it perhaps a magnetism to her tragic past and, thus, despair? Was it her razor-sharp analytical skills that kept her firmly seated in the realm of lawful good? Or, was it her incredible capacity for emotional response that she liked to keep hidden? She couldn't really say, to be honest. But today, like all days, she had plenty of time to think it through. Her entire afterlife needed some kind of activity, after all.

Mukuro's train of thought ground to a screeching halt, however, as Kyoko uncharacteristically paused in the hallway. The Ultimate Detective's eyes scanned the area, and Mukuro had to fight down the tiniest of shivers. Even as a ghost, it seemed that Kyoko held power over her.

"Who's there?" the ladder softly questioned. This caused Mukuro to pause. There weren't any other people in the hallway, let alone close enough for Kyoko to hear them. Kyoko turned around and sized up the hall behind her, eyes cold and defiantly defensive. Then, they drifted up. Squarely onto Mukuro's floating form. A palpable feeling of - Fear? Hope? Distress? - sparked through the ghost's incorporeal form while living eyes scrutinized her. "Mukuro Ikusaba." Her deadpan voice said it all, her face morphing into one of confusion. Mukuro froze immediately.

"...You can see me?" she asked after an awkward pause. The living girl nodded, emotions quickly being covered by a veil of indifference. Mukuro entertained the idea of asking Kyoko how she could perceive her, but judging by Kyoko's own surprise, it wasn't likely she'd know the answer.

"Are you a ghost?" Kyoko questioned, raising an eyebrow and taking in the altitude of the girl she was speaking to. Mukuro nodded.

"We shouldn't talk here. If you're the only one who can see me, it would be in your better interest to maintain the illusion that everything's fine," Mukuro advised, fully aware of how bossy she sounded. She didn't want her classmate to suffer on the part of a worthless killing machine who'd long-since passed her expiration date. Kyoko seemed a bit unsure, but soon nodded and led her new dead companion to her room. Once there, with the door firmly closed and locked, Kyoko let her curiosity spill.

"How are you here?" she asked first. Mukuro just gave an honest shrug.

"I'm not entirely sure. I've bumped into a few other ghosts, but they're few and far between. So far, the ones I've met have had some kind of unfinished business. I can't say the same for myself," Mukuro admitted. She felt suddenly very nervous, and she was sure that, if she were still alive, her face would be bright red right now instead of it's slightly translucent blue hue.

"Alright, I suppose that makes sense..." Kyoko spoke, half to herself. "Can the others see you?" Mukuro shook her head.

"Not as far as I'm aware," she affirmed. Kyoko just narrowed her eyes and sat on her bed, holding her chin with her gloved hand. A lengthy silence filled the air, and Mukuro's nerves increased with each moment that passed. "You're taking this surprisingly well. I expected you to write me off as an apparition."

"I very well intended to, but I don't believe I knew you well enough to be able to mentally recreate your personality and mannerisms," she explained, sounding almost disappointed, but doubly intrigued. "When you rule out the possible, whatever's left has to be the truth." At that sentence, Mukuro felt another surge of emotion. Relief? Hopelessness? Pain? She had no idea. But, Kyoko didn't stop. "I suppose that means... I've discovered the existence of ghosts. Not that anyone would believe me."

"I... I'm sorry," she spoke, shame twisting through her whole being. If she were still alive, she would never have accepted defeat like this. But Mukuro was dead. She didn't have anything left to live for. She wasn't alive. That hollow, empty thought echoed through her, multiplying her shame. Instead of finding a way to pass on, she creepily stalked her classmates and even got Kyoko involved in her mess. Mukuro wasn't sure why the fact that it was Kyoko caused her that much more pain, but she didn't have the time to think about it.

"From the sounds of it, you didn't choose this. And, I assume that four months with no real, human interaction has taken it's toll on you. Mukuro, you sacrificed yourself so the rest of us could live. Good person or not, I think I at least owe you some form of gratitude." Mukuro fought back her exploding emotions, letting only the tiniest of smiles onto her face.

"Thank you," she breathed, eyes teary but lacking the real fluid for such an appearance. "I'll keep that in mind."

**Author's Note:**

> I've been sitting on this idea for a while now - where Mukuro's ghost follows around her classmates and Kyoko mysteriously starts seeing her. Honestly, I think there's a lot I can do with it, so I may try out a multi-chapter fic around this concept. Possibly a sort of sequel to this fic? ;3  
> Anyway, I think that Mukuro deserves more credit. Her major downfall was that her love of Junko blinded her, and I feel like that's a really noble fault to have, especially for the living weapon that Mukuro is made out to be. This was also a bit of an ode to her, because she is precious and deserves so much better than she gets in canon. Let me know your thoughts in the comments!


End file.
